Regulating device for hydraulic turbines.



L. DUPOUR. REGULATING DEVICE FOR HYDRAULIC TURBINES. APPLICATION FILED APR.26,1913.

1, 1 3 1,344. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

L. DUPOUR.

REGULATING DEVICE FOR HYDBAULIG-TURBINBS. APPLICATION FILED AP.R.Z6,1913.

1,1 31,344. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

LEON DUFOUR, OF GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.

REGULATING DEVICE FOR. HYDRAULIC TUB-IBINES.

Application filed April 26, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LnoN Duroon, engineer, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Geneva, Canton of Geneva, in the Confederation of Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulating.

Devices for Hydraulic Turbines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in regulating devices for hydraulic turbines of the well known type of such devices comprising two regulating systems, one of which acts quickly to reduce the speed of the turbine under a given load, and the other of which acts more slowly on the quantity of water, these two systems, cooperating in a well known manner to obtain a quick regulation without any danger of shocks or water hammering in the pipes or tubes. 4

The present invention refers to the particular class of devices of that kind in which a single servo-motor is employed to actuate both regulating systems by means of a parallelogram with jointed members cooperating with a dash-pot containing oil or any other liquid and an outer force as for example that of a spring. According to prior patents of the applicant, such devices have been applied to hydraulic turbines of the Pelton-type in which the regulation of the speed of the turbine is done by a screen or deflector and the regulation of the water supply by a needle movable in the interior and placed axially in the nozzle supplying the water to the turbine wheel. In these devices, one of the points of the jointed parallelogram is movable rotatably about a fixed axis. According to the present invention, a parallelogram of this kind is employed to connect the servo-motor to both regulating devices, and such parallelogram is arranged so that it has a fixed point situ ated on the axis of the deflector. Thus certain simplifications and improvements are obtained as will appear from the following specification in which several constructions according to the present invention are described with reference to the annexed drawings, showing embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 1 to 3 of the same show diagrammatically several embodiments applied to turbine wheels of the Pelton type.

In the construction shown at Fig. 1, G is the servo-motor controlling the regulating Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 763,738.

systems of the turbine and which is operated by a centrifugal governor or any other well known device forming no part of the present invention and not shown on the drawing. The first regulating system of the turbine, by which the speed of the latter under a certain head may be suddenly re duced, consists in the construction shown on the drawing of a swinging deflector N, placed directly in front of the nozzle supplying the water to the turbine wheel. This screen or deflector may be swung or rotated about the fixed axis I by means of the lever I T. The second regulating system, con trolling the water supply, consists of a needle K placed axially in the supply nozzle of the turbine, and which may be moved in the interior of said nozzle under the action of a transmission lever F, M D which is pivotally mounted on the fixed point M. The piston of the servo-motor G acts on both regulating systems by means of the jointed parallelogram A B C, I E T, the point I of which is constituted by the rotation axis of the screen or deflector N. Between the piston of the servo-motor and the end T of the lever I T is placed a dash pot H with oil or any other liquid. A rod B E connects two intermediate symmetrical points of the levers A C and I T. At last, a spring It, or any other equivalent device, has the continuous tendency to bring the lever I T in contact with the fixed stop L.

The operation of this system is as follows: If the power of the turbine is to be slowly lowered, the piston of the servo-motor G is slowly moved toward the right, that is to say in the direction corresponding to the closing or of the reduction of the power of the turbine, and thus permits the oil or any other fluid filling the dash pot H to escape through the return duct of the latter, so that the dash pot does not transmit to the point T the movement of the servo-motor. The said point T of the parallelogram therefore has little or no movement. The lever T I remains practically still or undisplaced and the screen or deflector N does not come into action, but the movement of the piston of the servo-motor G causes the lever A B C to rotate about the point B, which remains nearly still or undisplaced since it is connected by the rod B E to the lever I T which remains still. The movement of the point C of the lever A B C is thus transmitted, but in a reversed direction, to the .tlO

point A of the said lever, and from the same by the rod A D to the lever I) M F and to the needle K, which slowly closes the supply of water through the nozzle. If on the contrary the power of the turbine is to be suddenly lowered, the piston of the servomotor is moved rapidly toward the right, in the closing direction. The oil in the dash pot H has then no time to escape through the return duct of the dash pot and to thus recede under the action of the pressure exerted on itself. The dash pot thus transmits the movement of the piston of the servomotor to the point T of the lever I T. This lever swings toward the right about its fixed point I, and the screen N rigidly connected to the lever I T, is swung about the point I and penetrates the jet of water of the turbine and deflects the same from the turbine wheel. Thus is rapidly carried into effect the first way to regulate the turbine, which consists of causing the power of the turbine to be diminished without any action on the water supply and therefore without causing any overpressure in the supply pipes. While the lever I T is swinging about I, the symmetrical lever A B C of the jointed parallelogram will similarly be swung about A, the points B and C describing approximately the same ways as the symmetrical points E and T. Thus, the point A remaining still or undisplaced, the needle K will similarly remain still or undisplaced in the nozzle. The regulation is thus effected in the first instant by the deflection of the jet only and the balance between the power developed by the turbine and the load is obtained. But as soon as the lever I T begins to turn about the point I, the spring It (or its equivalent means) tends to bring the same back to rest against the stop L. This return movement takes place as the dash pot H allows it, that is to say as the oil contained in the said dash pot passes little by little or gradually passing from one side of its piston to the other through the return duct of the dash pot. As on the other hand the piston of the servo-motor is in a position of rest as soon as the regulation has been effected, it follows therefrom that the point C of the lever A B C remains still or undisplaced. Therefore the lever A B G will now slowly turn about this point C under the action of the connecting rod B E since the point E of the lever I T participates in the return movement of the said lever I T. The point A of the lever A B C will move slowly toward the left which will cause a gradual displacement of the needle K under the action of the tranmission A D M F K. The water supply will be slowly lowered as the screen N will be brought backward, and the jet will gradually cease to be deflected so that the balance between the power developed by the turbine and the load remains nearly maintained. The final position of the backward movement of the screen N and of the lever I T is determined by the stop L while the final position of the needle K is determined by the position which the piston of the servo-motor G will have taken at the moment where it has been actuated to cause the regulation to take place. If now the power developed by the turbine is to be increased, may this increase be slow or rapid, the operation will be as follows: The piston of the servo-motor G will be moved toward the left, in the opening direction. The lever I T remaining supported or maintained by its resting against the stop L, the point E and therefore also the point B will remain fixed or undisplaced. The lever A B C will therefore be swung about the pointB and the movement of the point A toward the right will produce by the means of the lever D M F an opening movement of the needle K or movement toward the left, which movement will cause the water supply and therefore the power developed by the turbine to be increased. It will be possible to adjust or control the speed of the piston of the servo-motor G during the movement of said piston toward the left or in the direction corresponding to the opening of the water supply by adjusting or controlling the speed of the flow of the oil in the dash pot H as is readily seen from the inspection of Fig. l, but it is also possible to have the same arranged so that no or but little retardation of the movement of the piston toward the left will be caused by the dash pot as for example in the well known manner, by means of a return valve for the oil allowing its free return from the left end of the cylinder of the dash pot to its right end.

The speed of the piston of the servo-motor toward the left will then be determined by the speed of the oil (or water or other fluid) under pressure coming in the cylinder of the servomotor, as is already the case for the speed of this piston toward the right, in the direction corresponding to the closing of the water supply.

Fig. 2 of the drawings shows a modified arrangement differing from that of Fig. 1, only in that the stop L is not fixed, as in the case of Fig. 1, but is movable. In reality, it is advantageous that the screen N, in its position of rest, remains approximatively in a tangential relation to the jet, whatever may be the quantity of water supplied by this jet, that is to say under whatever development of power the turbine may be running. For this it is necessary that the stop L has a position varying with the position of the needle K or, what comes to the same, a position depending from the position of the piston of the servo-motor G. In Fig. 2, this stop with varying position is shown diagrammatically and by way of example as a cam, which may rotate about a fixed point. This cam is rigidly connected to a lever or arm which is operated by a connecting rod P U, one end of which is pivotally connected to an extension of the lever It will be easily seen from the inspection of Fig. 2, that the more the needle K is moved toward the right, that is to say, the more the diameter of the jet is'reduced, the more also the stop L constituted by the cam is displaced toward the right. It results therefrom that the position of the screen N will vary in the desired direction and that the screen will remain in a position tangential to the jet whatever may be the diameter of this latter provided the form of the cam has been properly determined to that end. This position of rest of the screen, tangential to the jet, will be obtained as well after an increase as after a decrease of the power developed by the turbine as will be understood from the preceding specification. This tangential condition of the screen to the jet for the different running positions of the regulating system may be realized in a much more simple manner. Fig. 3 shows by way of example and diagrammatically a device realizing this condition on a very advantageous manner: It

is sufficient therefore to place the fixed stop L no more behind the lever I T, but behind a point properly determined of the lever A B C. In effect if, in Fig. 3, the different positions A B 0,, A B C, A B C of the lever A B C are drawn in choosing the positions B B of the point B and the corresponding positions E E of the point E, so that the condition of the tangency of the screen to the jet be constantly realized, it is seen that all these positions of the lever A B are cutting each other approximately in one and the same point situated between B and A, but nearer from B. It is therefore sufficient to place the fixed stop L behind that point in order that the desired relation between all of the running positions of the screen N and of the needle K be realized. It will. be noticed that the stop L serves well to stop the lever I T by means of the connecting rod B E whenever the lever I T is brought back toward the left by the spring B after a sudden regulating action. In other words, the stop L of Fig. 3, fulfils exactly the same function as the stop L of Fig. 1, with the further advantages obtained by the cam L of Fig. 2. In the application of this device to a turbine, this condition of tangency of the screen may be realized or obtained exactly 3 on the device itself for instance by varying somewhat by means of screws or conical keys the position of the stop L in all directions until the condition of tangency is sufficiently well realized. This adjustment may also be obtained by varying somewhat n da on the levers A C or I T the position of the points B or E, where the connecting rod B E acts on the said levers. At last the said connecting rod B E or the connecting rod A D may be made with an adjustable length. 3

One or the other of these arrangements or several at the same time may be employed. Other arrangements could also easily be found to realize the said condition of tangency by the adjustment of other parts of .leaves the nozzle, a lever forming one side of a parallelogram and connected to the said device, a second lever forming the opposite side of the said parallelogram, a connection forming a third side of the parallelogram and pivotally connected to the aforesaid levers, a servo-motor associated with the said connection, a device for controlling the volume of the flow of the liquid and forming a portion of the fourth side of the parallelogram, connections completing the said fourth side of a parallelogram, and to which the last aforesaid device is secured, and a rod extending between and connecting the said levers which form the said opposite sides of the parallelogram.

2. In an apparatus to operate and control a dual regulating system of hydraulic turbines and in combination, a nozzle, a device for deflecting a jet of liquid as the same leaves the nozzle, a lever forming one side of a parallelogram and connected to the said device, a lever forming the opposite side of the said parallelogram, a servo-motor in a connection forming the third side of the parallelogram, and devices for controlling the volume of the flow of the liquid in connections forming the fourth side of the parallelogram.

3. In an apparatus to operate and control a dual regulating system of hydraulic turbines, and in combination, a nozzle, a device for deflecting a jet of water as the same leaves the nozzle, a lever forming one side of a parallelogram and connected at one end to the said device, a lever forming the opposite side of the said parallelogram, a connection forming the third side of the parallelogram and pivotally connected at its ends to the said levers, a servo-motor mounted in the said connection, a device for controlling the volume of the flow of the water and forming a part of the fourth side of the said parallelogram, connections completing the fourth side of the parallelogram, and to which the last aforesaid device is secured, a rod extending between and pivotally connected to the levers forming the opposite sides of the said parallelogram, a stop, and means for normally maintaining the first aforesaid lever against the said stop.

4. An apparatus to operate and control a dual regulating system of hydraulic turbines, and in combination, a nozzle, a device for deflecting a jet of water as the same leaves the said nozzle, a lever forming one side of a parallelogram, connected at one end to the said device, a lever forming the 0pposite side of the said parallelogram, a connection forming the third side of the parallelogram and pivotally connected at its ends to the said levers, a servo-motor, a dash pot, the said servo-motor and dash pot being connected in alinement with the said connection, a device for controlling the volume of the flow of water and forming a part of the fourth side of the said parallelogram,

connections secured to the said device and completing the fourth side of the said parallelogram, and a rod extending between and pivotally connected to the said levers forming the opposite sides of the said parallelogram.

5. In an apparatus to operate and control a dual regulating system of hydraulic turbines, and in combination, a nozzle, a device for deflecting a jet of Water as the same leaves the said nozzle, a lever forming one side of a parallelogram, connected at one end to the said device, a lever forming the 0pposite side of the said parallelogram, a con nection forming the third side of the parallelogram and pivotally connected at its ends to the said levers, a servo-motor, a dash pot, the said servo-motor and dash pot being connected in alinement With the said connection, a device for controlling the volume of the flow of Water and forming a part of the fourth side of the said parallelogram, connections secured to the said device and completing the fourth side of the said parallelogram, a rod extending between and pivotally connected to the said levers forming the opposite sides of the said parallelogram, a

stop, and means for normally maintaining the first aforesaid lever in position against the said stop.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEON DUFOUR.

WVitnesses S. TUSER, LOUIS H. MUNIER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

